According to various aviation websites, Egypt's flag carrier, Egyptair, will make its return to Zimbabwe after a 9 year halt in 2013. From 01 June 2013 the airline is extending its existing 4x weekly service between Cairo <> Dar Es Salaam to Harare on board a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Currently reservation for this flight is not available, and GDS (global distribution system) timetable listing is only displaying oneway flight. We'll keep you posted!

27 December 2012

Ethiopia's flag carrier and Star Alliance member, Ethiopian Airlines, will launch flights to Ndola in Zambia and Blantyre (via Lilongwe) in Malawi. The airline is planning to start operating flights to its two new destinations in Africa on 31 March 2013. The two new routes are replacing the existing Addis Ababa - Lubumbashi - Lilongwe - Addis Ababa routing.

21 December 2012

The City of Cape Town has released some impressive tourism statistics about Cape Town. According to the stats, over two million people have visited Cape Town’s six biggest attractions in November 2012 alone. Furthermore, all of Cape Town's so-called "Big Six" icons reported growth on 2011’s November figures. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens visitor numbers, for instance, were up by more than 13% from last year.

20 December 2012

Venture Publications has released the Summer 2012/13 edition of "Travel News Namibia", a quarterly magazine about tourism in Namibia. The issue contains stories about the great coastal migration along Namibia's coastline, a trip to Sandwich Harbour, the town of Tsumeb near Etosha, the Lüderitz Speed Challenge in Lüderitz, information about the Desert Dash - the ultimate mountain biking challenge, and much more! Click here to download the pdf version of "Travel News Namibia (Vol. 20 No 5 | Summer 2012/13" for free.

Swaziland, one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies, is the smallest country in the southern hemisphere. Although it has only about the size of Wales, Swaziland contains of four separate geographical regions, which are running from North to South and are determined by altitude. The landlocked country is therefore offering a wide variety of landscapes and some of southern Africa's most unique Game Reserves.Swaziland Tourism has recently compiled a short promotional video about the country's conservation areas, including the Hlane Royal National Park in the north-eastern Swazi bushveld, the Mkhaya Game Reserve in the country's southeast, the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in Swaziland's Ezulwini Valley as well as of Mlilwane's Reilly's Rock Hilltop Lodge and Sondzela Backpackers. Enjoy!

According to the latest statistics released by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), South Africa has lost 633 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of 2012. Kruger National Park
remains the hardest hit by poachers, having lost 395 rhinos since the
beginning of this year. North West province has lost 77 rhinos to illegal poaching; KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo have both lost 60 rhinos. Of the 266 arrested individuals in connection with rhino poaching, 237 are at the level of poacher, 18 are couriers and 11 are receivers.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)
has urged members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching
or any tip-offs that could lead to arrests and prevention of illegal
killings to 0800 205 005.

The Popa Falls Camp in Namibia's northern Kavango Region will soon receive a N$60 million facelift. The redevelopment of the camp is scheduled to be finished by December 2013 and will include brand-new conferencing facilities as well as facilities to offer game drives and boat cruises. It is also planned to move the camp site of the resort, which is currently in a flood-prone area, to a higher ground.

14 December 2012

South African National Parks (SANParks) announced on 13 Dec 2012 that for the 2013/14 tariff year annual increases in conservation fees will be higher than anticipated. According to Joep Stevens, SANParks General Manager: Strategic Tourism Services, this became unavoidable due to the provision of additional conservation functions such as additional security measures in parks such as Kruger National Park, Marakele National Park and Table Mountain National Park.Conservation fees will rise by 15%-25%, while the overall accommodation rates will increase by an average of 10,1%. SANParks will also adjust the accommodation rate structure to align with industry standards by introducing a low season rate, a shoulder season rate and a high season rate.These new rate changes will come into effect on 01 November 2013; bookings for November 2013 will open on 18 December 2012.

13 December 2012

In January 2012 the Government of Zambia approved the recommendation of the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) Board to rebase the national currency, the Zambian Kwacha, by lopping off three zeros. The date for the actual changeover to the rebased currency and the introduction of new banknotes & coins is set to be 01 January 2013. Zambia
will replace the old notes and coins with new 100 Kwacha, 50 Kwacha, 20 Kwacha, 10 Kwacha, 5 Kwacha
and 2 Kwacha banknotes, as well as 1 Kwacha, 50 Ngwee, 10 Ngwee and 5
Ngwee coins.

(c) Cavmont Bank(click on screenshot to enlarge or here to download the original pdf)

The public in Zambia is given a six-month window in which people will be able to transact using the current and rebased notes after which transactions would only be done using rebased notes.

12 December 2012

If you are food lover and planning to visit Cape Town, make sure that you are going to be there on a Saturday. Wondering why? Well, every Saturday in the Cape Town neighborhood of Woodstock a revitalised Old Biscuit Mill complex hosts an superb farmers market called "Neighbourgoods". The market, like its counterpart in Braamfontein in Johannesburg, is offering farm fresh as well as organic foods, locally produced specialty goods, freshly cooked snacks and much more. Yum! Kudos "Roads & Kingdoms" for the video!

Broadcaster Al Jazeera went to the streets of South Africa's business hub Johannesburg, home to people from across the world, and asked 10 South Africans and non-South Africans: "What does Nelson Mandela mean to you?"

11 December 2012

According to the latest statistics released by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), South Africa has lost 618 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of 2012. Kruger National Park
remains the hardest hit by poachers, having lost 381 rhinos since the
beginning of this year. North West province has lost 77 rhinos to illegal poaching; KwaZulu-Natal has lost 60 rhinos and Limpopo 59
rhinos. The total number of arrests in connection with the poaching totalled 257.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)
has urged members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching
or any tip-offs that could lead to arrests and prevention of illegal
killings to 0800 205 005.

Day visitors planning to visit the Kruger National Park during this festive season are reminded that gate quotas will be enforced. Day visitors are advised to make a pre-booking to secure their entry at the entrance gate. Day visitors who make a booking prior to their arrival are expected to pay a non-refundable deposit of R28 per adult and R14 per child. The amount is meant to secure the space so that they can be counted in the number that makes a daily quota at that particular gate. Kruger National Park uses gate quota system to control the influx of people coming in the park to avoid overcrowding.
Once the daily quota has been reached, only people who made pre-bookings are allowed to enter. The rest will have to queue and rely on the people to move out of the park in order to create a space for them. However, this situation does not affect overnight visitors.

All visitors should be able to produce their identity document or any alternative form of identification at the gates to avoid problems. Each gate has its own number of daily visitors allowed e.g. Kruger Gate is 750 people.
Visitors to the Kruger National Park can gain access through one of the following gates: Crocodile Bridge, Malelane, Numbi, Phabeni, Kruger, Orpen, Phalaborwa, Punda Maria, Pafuri and Giriyondo.

06 December 2012

A while back we introduced you to the webshow "Africa on a plate", in which chef Lentswe Bhengu, a young and hip chef from South Africa, is exploring the wild & real culinary world of Africa. After a break of a couple of month, the makers of the series have uploaded two new episodes. Watch it now and get to learn how traditional African beer is brewed and what a Christmas chicken Cape Town style is like.

Episode 1: Pan-fried Yellowtail or "Grilled fish in Houtbay"
Episode 2: Curry in Cape Town
Episode 3: How to cook a sheep's head or "Smileys in Langa"
Episode 4: How to brew African beer - NEW
Episode 5: Cape Town Christmas chicken - NEW

btw - Africa on a Plate is a brand new startup asking for funds on their Indiegogo site. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Good luck guys!

The De Zeekoe Guest Farm the first establishment in Oudtshoorn to be certified by the Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA). De Zeekoe is an owner-managed African farm that offers a variety of accommodation types, with both catered and self-catering options. The 2000-hectare bio-diversified farm, which puts a very strong focus on environmental conservation as well as community upliftment, is nestled between the majestic Swartberg and Outeniqua Mountains on the banks of the Olifants River. The De Zeekoe Guest Farm is located only 7 km from Oudtshoorn on the R328.
The Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) certification is an independent endorsement of fair and responsible tourism practice in South Africa.
It is based on adherence to specific criteria including fair wages and
working conditions, fair distribution of benefits, ethical business
practice, and respect for human rights, culture and the environment.
Certification is offered on a voluntary basis to providers of tourist
accommodation, activities and attractions.

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has published a press release (06 Dec 2012) reassuring tourists and the business community that it is safe to travel to all parts of Rwanda. According to the press release, the situation in the east of the DR Congo has resulted in two recent isolated skirmishes in Rwanda. Both incidents got rapidly contained and border security has been reinforced to prevent recurrence.

"We would like to reassure visitors that it is business as usual at all our tourism destinations. Travellers to Rwanda continue to enjoy the magnificent scenery, pleasant climate, rich culture and diverse wildlife in our national parks, including the rare mountain gorillas." (Clare Akamanzi, acting CEO of RDB)

The museum section of the Stevenson-Hamilton Knowledge Resource Centre at the Skukuza Restcamp in the Kruger National Park is undergoing a complete refurbishment and will therefore be closed from 05 Dec 2012 - 30 June 2013. The Stevenson-Hamilton Knowledge Resource Centre is one of the main attractions at the Skukuza Restcamp for visitors and researchers. The centre has a museum where the Kruger National Park's historic monuments are kept for public consumption and a library section with vast collection of reference materials. It hosts rich information on ecology, nature and conservation which assist in the management of the park. The library and its functions will not be affected by the refurbishment of the museum section.Skukuza Restcamp is the administrative headquarters, the main camp as well as the largest camp of the Kruger National Park. It is located on the southern banks of the Sabie River in the southern section of Kruger.